Wheel driven boat



June 17, 1969 1 LlPPlNcoTT WHEEL DRIVEN BOAT Sheet Filed Aug. l5, 1967 TRANS/'H56 ION THHNSM/SSION AUTOMATIC INVENTOR ENG/NE i I 4 l June 17, 1959 L. LIPPINCOTT 3,450,089

WHEEL DRI VEN BOAT Filed Aug. 15, 1967 sheet ,8 of 2 INVENTOR United States Patent O 3,450,089 WHEEL DRIVEN BOAT Lloyd Lippincott, Staatsburg, N.Y. 12580 Filed Aug. 15, 1967, Ser. No. 660,647 Int. Cl. B60f 3/00 US. Cl. 115-1 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The disclosure describes a boat having a four-wheel drive. The wheels have deep treads which effectively drive the boat through the water. The wheels can be mounted on a carriage which can be attached to the boat, The Wheels can be steerable so that the boat can be driven on land.

The invention is directed at a boat having four pneumaic wheels all driven by an engine in a boat. According to the invention, the wheels can be steered and braked under control of the pilot on deck.

One object of the invention is to provide a boat with four engine driven wheels.

Another object is to provide an amphibious boat with four engine driven wheels and means for steering and braking the front wheels under control of the pilot of the boat.

A further object is to provide a boat with a separable carriage having four wheels mounted thereto.

For further comprehension of the invention and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

FIGURE l is a side view of a boat embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged side view of the engine of the boat and associated parts.

FIG. 3 is a plan view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of part of the boat taken on line 4-4 of FIG` 1.

FIG. 5 is an exploded side view of another boat with detached wheel carriage.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the engine and associated parts of the boat of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary rear view taken on line 7 7 of FIG. 5, with the boat and wheel carriage assembled.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary side view of a boat similar to that of FIG. 5, provided with a wheel carriage having steered and braked wheels.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary top view on an enlarged scale of the wheel carriage of FIG. 8.

FIGl 10 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view on a further enlarged scale taken on line 10-10 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 1l is a top perspective view of a boat embodying still another modied form of the invention.

FIG. 12 is a bottom plan view thereof.

FIG. 13 is a front elevational view thereof.

Referring first to FIGS. 1-4, there is shown a boat 10 having a hull 12. The hull has inclined bottom walls 14 meeting at the bottom to define a keel 16. The boat has a cabin 18 on top with a forward pilots position 19 where hand controls 20 are located. At the stern of the `boat is a rudder 21 operatively connected by means 22 indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 1. The connection means 22 can be flexible cables, or other suitable means for turning the rudder on its shaft 24, To the extent described, the boat 10 is conventional.

Now according to the invention the boat has an inboard engine 25 which can be an internal combustion engine. The engine has an output shaft 26 connected to an automatic transmission assembly 28 of conventional fluid drive construction having high gear, low gear, neutral, and reverse positions. The transmission assembly 28 has an output shaft 30 provided with bevel gears 32, 34 at opposite ends and carrying flywheel 35. The shaft 30 extends longitudinally of the boat. Gears 32, 34 are engaged with forward and aft reversely oriented gears 36, 38 mounted to shafts 40, 42. These transverse shafts are journaled in horizontal sleeve 43 extending through bottom walls 14 of the hull. The shafts 40 and 42 carry pairs of wheels 44, 46 at opposite ends. The wheels have pneumatic tires 47 with deep angled cleats l49 which act like vanes when the wheels are rotated. The planes of the wheels extend longitudinally of the hull on opposite sides thereof.

The engine is controlled by a throttle lever 48 having linkage 51 terminating at the pilots position 19. Linkage 50 which controls the transmission assembly 28 also terminates at the pilots position 19. Fuel such as gasoline is conveyed by fuel line 52 from a fuel tank (not shown) to carburetor 54 on the engine. An air lter 55 is mounted above the throttle and carburetor.

In operation of boat 10, the boat will be steered by turning rudder 21 angularly when a hand control 20 is turned, When the engine is turned on and the transmission is shifted from neutral to low or high gears, the wheels will all turn in the same direction and the boat will move forwardly. Speed of the wheels and of forward movement of the boat will be controlled by the hand or foot operated throttle linkage 51. When the transmission 28 is shifted to reverse position the direction of rotation of the wheels will be reversed and the boat will move to the rear.

In FIGS. 5-7 is shown another boat 10A in which parts corresponding to boat 10` are identically numbered. In this boat the hull 12a is mounted to separable wheel carriage 60. The wheel carriage 60 has a horizontal rectangular frame 62 provided with slanted blocks 64 at opposite ends for abutting the inclined bottom walls 14 of the hull. Bolts 66 extend into threaded holes 68 in the bottom of the hull to secure the carriage of the hull.

Engine 25a of boat 10A is mounted in the hull and drives fluid drive automatic transmission assembly 28a. This assembly has an output shaft 30a carrying a drive gear 70. Gear 70 is meshed with a gear 72 on a stub shaft 74 journaled in a bearing 75 at the bottom of the hull. The bottom end of shaft 74 has a key 76 which engages in slot 77 at the upper end of a stub shaft 78. Stub shaft 78 is journaled in a transverse bearing plate 80 mounted at the top of the carriage frame. When the hull is properly mounted on the carriage the shafts 74 and 78 will be engaged so as to rotate together, Stub shaft 78 carries gear 82 which is meshed with gear 83 secured to longitudinal horizontal drive shaft 30.

Drive shaft 30 has gears 32 and 34 at opposite ends meshed with gears l36, 38 of cross shafts 40, 42. The shafts 40, 42 carry wheels 44, 46 on which the tires 47 with deep cleats 49 are formed. A housing 94 can be provided at the bottom of the carriage frame to enclose the gears 82, y83.

The wheel carriage `60 can be attached to the hull 12a in drydock, or the wheel carriage can be pushed down to the shore and then floated underneath the hull. There the bolts 66 will be secured. It Will be noted that the carriage 60 will be bouyant because the frame 62 can be made of wood and the air filled tires 47 will be bouyant. Thus the carriage does not tend to drag the hull down. The asssembled hull and wheel carriage operates in the same manner as described above, in connection with boat 10, in forward and reverse drive connections.

What is claimed is:

1. A boat, comprising a hull having a pilots operating position on top and a closed bottom, an engine inside the hull, a first pair of wheels rotatably mounted on opposite sides of the hull near its front end, a second pair of wheels rotatably mounted on opposite sides of the hull near its rear end, pneumatic tires with deep, angled cleats extending circumferentially round the tires, a transmission assembly coupled to the engine, mechanical means operatively connecting all the wheels to the transmission assembly so that all the Wheels rotate in the same direction simultaneously when the engine is running and when the transmission assembly is in gear, and controls at the pilots position operatively connected to the engine and transmission assembly for operating the same, said wheels all rotating on axes perpendicular to the longitudinal fore and aft direction of the hull, whereby the boat is driven forward and backward while floating in water and While on land when the engine is running and when the transmission assembly is in gear, a wheel carriage having a generally rectangular buoyant frame, said wheels being rotatably carried on opposite sides of the frame, and means detachably securing the frame of the hull.

2. A boat as recited in claim l, further comprising a pair of shafts carried by said frame and extending transversely of the hull, said shafts rotatably supporting the wheels, a drive shaft supported by the frame and extending longitudinally of the hull, gear means coupling said drive shaft to the pair of transverse shafts, said mechanical means comprising a pair of stub shafts detachably coupled to each other and respectively coupled to said gear means and transmission assembly, one of said stub shafts being journaled in the bottom of the hull and the other stub shaft being journaled on the frame, whereby said Wheel carriage can be separated from the hull, and

whereby the wheel carriage can be attached to the hull so that the transmission Iassembly is operatively coupled to the wheels to drive the same.

3*. A boat as recited in claim '1, further comprising universal joints pivotably attaching the front pair of wheels to one of the transversely disposed shafts, a steering control at the pilots position, and further mechanical means operatively connecting said steering control to the `front wheels whereby the boat can be steered while in the water and on while on land.

4. A boat as recited in claim 3, further comprising braking means carried by the frame and engageable with the wheels to stop rotation thereof, a braking control at the pilots position, and other means operatively connecting said braking control with said braking means for actuating the same.

5. A boat as recited in claim 3, wherein said further mechanical means and said other rneans both comprising separable engaged members so that the wheels can be detached from the hull.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,350,037 5/1944 Hofheins et al. 115-1 2,397,791 4/ 1946 Kramer et al. 115-1 FOREIGN PATENTS 46,074 8/1932 Denmark. 602,296 9/ 1934 Germany.

ANDREW H. FARRELL, Primary Examiner. 

